Life is composed of seasons. Solomon writes,
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…” ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1
So as we move through life, just like we move through a year, we are faced with changing seasons. Why bring this up? Why state the obvious? I mention this because we forget. Now, obviously we don’t forget the changing of the seasons because we have to deal with them—falling temperatures requires us to put on a jacket. But what about the new and changing seasons in the rest of our lives? For me, I’m in a new season of life right now. My daughter Samantha just started Kindergarten and so now all my kids are in school…new season. We are now into the second full week of school and we are still tweaking our routine. My wife Suzi is starting a new schedule with her teaching (piano lessons and music classes). Oh and the deluge of activities are starting up for my kids; soccer, volleyball, lessons, and homework just to name a few. A new season and new adjustments need to be made.
Now, think for a moment. What new season are you in right now? Is it the empty nest season, the college season, the surgery/recovery season, or the harvest season? Okay, now that you have identified what season you are in, have you noticed how your priorities have been realigned? Things that use to be really important have slipped off the list. Let me give you an example. Early in my ministry I loved to play golf. When I was in youth ministry I played almost once a week. Just the other day Suzi and I were watching golf highlights on the news and she asked me,
“Do you miss playing golf?” I replied, “Kind of, but it’s just not a priority right now. Maybe when a new season of life comes down the road I might find more time for it. But not right now.”
I bring all of this up because as human beings we can really mess up our lives by not paying attention to what season of life we are in and adjusting our priorities accordingly. Let me give you my short list on how I filter through what is most important in life.
Loving God/Following Jesus – This is the most important thing for me each and everyday. I schedule my life around this priority. If I don’t carve time out of my schedule to connect with God in prayer and read my Bible to be a better disciple, then Jesus is not a priority in my life. Now let me clarify. Does God love me more because I pray and read my Bible? No, but I love God more because I pray and read my Bible.
Being A Loving Husband – I have made a commitment to love Suzi just like Jesus loved the church (Eph. 5:25-30). That is huge! If I’m going to carry out that commitment then it needs to be a priority.
Being a Dad – As a Christ follower it is my responsibility to lead my children to Christ and then make them disciples of him. So, I’m going to talk about God with them, pray with them, read the Bible with them, do devotions with them, and make sure they get to church. My kids also need to know that they are more important then any game, hobby or TV show. Children are an amazing gift from God and a priority.
What would you prefer? A child who grows up to be a star running back or a child who grows to follow Jesus all the days of his life? A child who becomes a concert pianist or a child who dedicates his or her life to serving Jesus? Children like that don’t just happen. Most often, children that follow Jesus are a result of parents who prioritized their lives to make sure their children connected with Jesus on a personal level.
Working Wisely and Diligently at the Job God Has Provided Me – Notice that being a pastor and preacher is not the most important thing in my life. My life is not defined by what I do to make a living. I am a Christian. I am a husband. I am a dad. God has called me into a very specific ministry where I am fortunate enough to provide a great life for my family. God is so good! It’s my responsibility to work wisely…not overloading my “plate” with more then I can handle. Too often we can over extend ourselves in our jobs and careers. Sometimes we can even justify doing it…right? We are trying to get ahead or work up the corporate ladder, but everything comes at a price. If your work steals time on a regular basis from the more important priorities in your life, then maybe it’s time to say no to a few things or find another job.
It’s also important to work diligently. It can be easy to waste time and work, thus prolonging tasks that really don’t take that long. If we were more diligent in our work habits then we might be shocked at home much more time we have to give to the other priorities in our lives.
Serving the Lord in My Church and In My Community – I am part of something that is much bigger than myself—I’m part of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. I have a role to play, a ministry to carry out. If the Kingdom is going to grow and expand then I need to be doing my part. So when I look at my priorities, I have to make sure that I’m serving the Lord in a specific ministry on a regular basis. So I specifically carve time out of my schedule each week to volunteer my time in the church and in the community.
So there you have it, my top five list. Now, I could easily list off a bunch more, but the point is you need to come up with your own list and here’s why? If you don’t prioritize your life then the different seasons of your life will control your life and you will never accomplish the purpose that God has given you for your life. Just a few hours I talked to one of the members of our church. This person is not liking the season of life he is in right now…in fact this season of life owns him right now and he desperately wants to break away. Do you find yourself in the same situation? Do you want to break away from the season of life that seems to be dominating your life right now? Well how about this? Instead of breaking away, why not take control and prioritize your life? Oh and why not start with this little tidbit from Jesus. Ready?
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” ~ Matthew 6:33
